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Frank James, 62, made an initial court appearance Thursday afternoon on federal charges for allegedly opening fire, shooting 10 passengers on a Brooklyn subway Tuesday. Photos courtesy New York City Police Department/Twitter
April 14 (UPI) — Frank James, the man arrested for shooting ten people on a Brooklyn subway train Tuesday, will stay in federal custody following a brief initial court appearance Thursday afternoon.
James did not enter a plea and was ordered held on a permanent order of detention.
James spoke only briefly during the court appearance, replying “yes” when asked if he understood his rights and to two more questions.
Federal prosecutors wanted James to stay in jail pending trial, according to a letter to Judge Roanne Mann from U.S. Attorney Breon Peace.
“The defendant committed a premeditated mass shooting on the New York City subway system and then fled the scene, with a stockpile of ammunition and other dangerous items stowed in his storage unit. The defendant presents a severe and ongoing danger to the community, as well as a serious risk of flight, that no set of release conditions can mitigate,” Peace wrote.
James is charged with conducting a violent attack on a mass transportation vehicle. He is accused of firing 33 rounds.
James faces a maximum penalty of life in prison if convicted, according to prosecutors.
Federal prosecutors said in a statement that during rush hour on the morning of April 12, James used a Glock 17 pistol bought in Ohio to conduct the mass shooting on an N subway train in Brooklyn.
Twenty-nine people were injured, including 10 who were shot.
Prosecutors said James was dressed in an orange reflective jacket, yellow hard hat and surgical mask. They said he set off a smoke-emitting device in one of the train cars before opening fire on the riders.
James was arrested Wednesday after a massive police manhunt directed by the FBI’s New York Joint Terrorism Task Force, which includes NYPD and over 50 other federal, state, and local agencies, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Investigators from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives quickly determined the gun used in the subway shooting was bought by James in Ohio. And the FBI traced the smoke device to a purchase by a man named Frank James at a Wisconsin fireworks shop.
James posted social media videos before the shooting that included violent rants.
During You Tube videos posted by James, prosecutors said he made comments directed to New York City Mayor Eric Adams.
Among the things James said in the videos, according to prosecutors:
- “What are you doing, brother? What’s happening with this homeless situation?”
- “Every car I went to wa[s] loaded with homeless people. It was so bad, I couldn’t even stand.”
- “And so the message to me is: I should have gotten a gun, and just started shooting motherf***ers.”
Police found a U-Haul van rented by James about five blocks from the Kings Highway station where they believe James boarded the subway.
Among the items prosecutors said were recovered from James in court-authorized search warrants were 9 mm ammunition; a threaded 9mm pistol barrel, which allows for a silencer or suppresser to be attached; .223 caliber ammunition, which is used with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle; a taser; a high-capacity rifle magazine; and a blue smoke canister.
